Safety device for fire escapes



Sept 1927' E. BOCCHINO LMIJQS SAFETY DEVICE FOR FIRE ESCAPES Filed NOV.24, 1926 ATO Y Patented Sept. 6, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

ERNEST Boconmo, or NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

SAFETY DEVICEFOB IEE scArEs; Application filed November 24, 1926. SerialNo. 150,454.

This invention relates to fire escapes as applied to dwelling houses,ofiice buildings and other plura'lly storied structures in which peopleare domiciled and which are subject to fire hazards, the device being asafety fire escape.

Such fire escapes usually .take the.shape of platforms accessible fromthe building through windows or analogous openings and are provided withguard rails at their outer edges.

Leading from one tier of platforms to the next adjacent are steps orstair-ways and with the lowermost is associated some type of ladder,pivoted to swing or mounted to slide vertically as may be, preferred inaccordance with the immediate locality.

In order to prevent the misuse of such ladders in obtaining unwarrantedaccess to the building it is customary to retain them at a considerableheight from the ground, such raised position also affording unobstructedpassa e below the ladder and free use of the sur ace below.

This implies that the ladder, when in a raised position, must besecurely supported to prevent accident and on the other hand it isclearly evident that the ladder must be so supported as to descend andbecome instantly available when its use is required.

It is therefore an ob'ect of this invention to provide a ladder with acounter-balance whereby most of its weight is supported and a catchengageable with some portion of the platform to normally support thesurplus weight, the catch beinginstantly and easily disen ageable atwill.

It is a further feature to provide a catch that is adjustably but firmlyattached to the ladder whereby it maybe supported at variable heights asmay be desired.

Another aim is in the provision of guides for the counterweight wherebyit is positively directed into its retaining basket without eflort.

These and other important objects are accomplished b the novel and Ipractical construction an arrangement of parts hereinafter described andshown in the accom panying drawing in which Figure 1 is a sideelevational View of a conventional fire escape landing including aladder supported by an embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2 is a front elevational view of the same.

Figure 3 is a perspective ,view an adjustable clip in detail.

Figure 4; is a transverse sectional view of a ladder side havin anattached clip.

In the. drawing t e numeralLlO generally designates a conventional fireescape latform having anopen end 11, the plat orm being fixed to thewall 12 of a building by supporting brackets 13.

Fixed on the wall 12, above the fire showing escape, is a bracket 14carrying a shaft 15 on which is rotatably mounted a sheave or groovedpulley 16 over which is trained a cable 17 secured at one end to aU-shaped support 18 provided with hooks l9 engageable with the upperends of a ladder 20. The ladder extends downwardly to cover the opening11 and is guided by a bar 21 fixed to the platform 10 at its base.

Adjustably engaged on one of the sides of the ladder by set screws 22 isa channelshaped support 23 having a projecting catch or clip 24 providedwith a chamfered surface or cam face 25 engageable with some fixed partof the platform as one of the flooring members 10, thus supporting theladder 20.

The free end of the, cable 17 is provided with a ring 26 fixed to aweight 27 normally carried in a frame basket 28 secured to the fireescape 10 or the adjacent wall 1% Extending from the sides of thebracket 14 is a pair of In s 29 to which are fixed cables 30 passing trough eyes 31 oppositedisposed on the weight 27 the free ends of l thecables being attached to the bracket 28,

so that the weight may be easily guided therein when moved in a verticallane.

The support 23 may be adjuste so that when the weight 27 is restin onthe base 'of the basket, the catch 24 wil just engage and rest over theframe of the platform.

It is obvious that when it becomes necessary to use the ladder, it ismerely required to move the same in the direction of the arrow(Figure'2) causing the catch 24 to clear the lat-form.

The ladder may then be pulled downwardly against the weight 27, and aperson make use of it in obtaining exit from the platform by passingbetween the ladder sides below the arched support 18.

- foregoing description or shown in the acand com anying drawing shallbe interpreted as il ustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In combination with a fire escape platform and a ladder movablevertically at one end, of the platform, of means to guide said ladder,means for counterbalancing the greater portion of the weight of saidladder,

and a catch adjustably carried b said ladder to. support the excess weigt thereof, said catch normally en aging one of the platform elements tobe isplaced therefrom upon exerting lateral pressure on said lad- 2. Incombination with a fire escape platform and a ladder movable verticallyat one end of the platform, of means to guide said ladder, an arcuateloop at the top of said ladder, a sheave wheel, a cable trained oversaid wheel one end of said cable being attached to said loop, acounter-weight attached to the other end of the cable, a fixed basket toreceive said counter-weight, and a catch ad'ustably fixed on said ladderto engage sai platform, said catch being disengaged from said platformby lateral pressure.

3. In combination with a fire escape platform and a ladder movablevertically at one end of the latform, a guide on said platform for saidladder, a basket support ed by said platform, a weight receivable insaid basket, a grooved wheel fixed above said platform, a cable trainedover said wheel connecting said ladder and weight, means for guidingsaid weight relative to the basket, and a catch adjustably fixed on saidladder to engage said platform, said catch being disenga ed from saidplatform by shifting the ladt ler laterally.

4. A fire escape ladder adapted for vertical movement comprising incombination with a fire escape platform, a pair of sides connected byrungs, a counter-Weight to nearly balance said ladder, a basket tonormally contain said weight, a cable attached to'said ladder and weightat its respective ends, a bracket fixed above the fire escape ladder,lateral arms on said bracket, a sheave revoluble in said bracket overwhich said cable is trained, rods fixed to said basket and arms, meanscarried by said weight to engage said rods to be guided thereby and acatch controlling the descent of said ladder, said catch beingdisplaceable from the platform upon shifting the ladder laterally.

Signed at New York in the county of New York and State of New York this23rd day of November, A. D. 1926.

Y ERNEST BOCCHINO.

